Choosing dolls to travel / go on holiday with

I personally don’t travel very much, but if I want a companion to join me I usually bring one of my tiny (12 cm) dolls!
If I decide (or need) to bring a larger (1/4 scale) doll with me, I usually go with Wren. He’s less delicate and fidgety, and I’m less worried about staining him (he’s already been though the ringer a bit, lol). I’m also not super fond of having to fix a long wig, which is what my other 1/4 scale doll, Celeste, has. Plus, Celeste has magnetic hands and feet which can get lost pretty easily.

 

Hmm I know a lot of people will go based on convenient size! For me all my dolls are 1/4 so size doesn’t apply to me. Like I think is a matter of personal preference, if you’re like me and would like to take pictures of your doll in different scenarios I’ll take my fave one! I’ll extra careful with traveling with him, yellowing not that important as long you don’t expose him directly or a lot in the sun!

 

I love to take along dolls on holiday to take pics in nature. This summer I was in iceland and I have a character in my story, that was born and raised in Iceland. Iplehouse Wendy (big 63cm girl) - so I took her along kneeing in a diaper bag and used the wound pad to knee down on the ground not to get dirty pants.
As I love to take pics on holiday I think about the most suitable doll to take along to the place where I go. And in a plane i always have my doll in the hand luggage

 

I've traveled with all sizes in the past and basically it just depended on who fit in my carry on bag. I don't "travel" much anymore, but I do take my dolls with me to visit my dolly friend. In that instance, I try to bring as many that I can fit in a bag with pillows and blankets. However, if I was going out of town, I would opt to leave my bigger dolls at home. Also any with teeny tiny magnetic parts. Like I would leave my SD/SD13/SD17 sized dolls and my little 12cm Unicorns (I've already lost one of their tiny horns just in my livingroom to never be found again, not trying my luck out and about with them). I would however take my tinies because I can easily carry them in a bag that I can keep on my person with little extra weight. And depending on where I was going, I might take one or two MSDs for dolly get togethers. If I'm just bringing them for photo opportunities, I just go with tinies.

 

For me it's often a bit spur of the moment depending on where I'm going and who feels right for the location. I went to a convention last year with a scifi theme, and took my 70cm scifi themed boy as well as one of my tinies who I did up in a spacesuit. More recently i went to the beach and brought my doll Remy, who is supposed to be a selkie. Since she's an outdoor adventurer sort she often also comes along on my little mountain treks, since she feels so at home in outdoorsy photos.

Since most of my adventures are landscape focused she is my main travel buddy, despite her not super convenient size (msd) and decidedly inconvenient hair- but other dolls are more likely to come with me to game nights and indoor events.

 

i try and decided which one/ones will fit best for the pictures i hope to take. i also try and rotate at least a little so it isn't always the same doll/dolls. it depends too on how i am travelling. if going by plane, i'm more likely to take a couple of the smaller ones that fit in either my purse, or my camera bag/backpack, depending on what we take as carry on. when we go on road trips, i can take a few more dolls as i put them in padded carriers that fit under the seats

 

A lot depends on where I'm going and how long I plan to stay. On our road trip vacation last summer, I brought only one small doll and was gone for nine days. I was on the go a lot then and wanted a doll that would be easy to transport, easy to pose, and quick to put away, so the big guys were out of the question. On trips to visit my parents, I often bring one of the big guys because they live in a wooded area and I can get such nice photos of them. I've taken up to four at a time for longer stays, but only one or two if I'll be there for only a short time. I try to give them all a turn, but I do have my favorites. I typically don't worry about damage as all of my travel is done by car and I have padded bags for them.

 

My OceanMoon Hwa-Lan/SD13B hybrid is the only doll I've taken on real trips (I've taken several to local locations, and they've all been about the same size/weight as him). The primary reason is because out of the dolls I had when I started that, he was the most stable when standing and sitting without support. The other main reason had to do with the character being more fun than most of mine to think about photographing in various situations. Minor reasons - He also doesn't have any easily-lost magnetic parts and he's not small enough someone could grab him and stuff him in a purse. And it doesn't hurt that his body is common, so if I managed to snap a finger or something it wouldn't be too hard to find a replacement.

 

My Puki Puki Leon, who's my DoA avatar, goes nearly everywhere with me, since he fits in an inner pocket of my purse. I've taken some of the others to meet-ups, but don't usually travel with them.

I have taken my Dollzone Wendy, my fish-girl to a house by the beach, though.

 

I usually choose mine based on if my sister will be there and which of hers she's bringing so we can get pictures of them together!

Otherwise, I usually go with whoich ones travels well-- size, least likely to lose accessories or fantasy parts, wig least likely to get damaged, faceup I can easily redo, etc. If I'm going somewhere that fits the character/story of one of the dolls, I usually choose that one for photo ops.

 

When I've traveled with dolls, I think about which doll is least likely to lose parts or be damaged. The size doesn't matter to me. I've carried an SD doll, an MSD doll, and a YOSD doll all at the same time on a plane as carry-ons. The biggest worry I have is losing magnet parts or losing loose shoes or something. I always make sure I pick a doll that is LEAST likely to lose parts or clothing items. I want to be able to take them out, pose them, and put them away safely and quickly.

 

Depends which craft projects are travelling with me, if it's doll clothes then one of the dolls that could be used for fittign purposes generally goes along. Not necessarily the one the clothing is for (especially if I'm taking several garments along to work on).

Otherwise it's whichever ones I can cram into my luggage for the trip (which will depened on whether I'm going by public transport, car, or a combination) and/or whether I can haul along a seperate doll bag.

Unless someone at my destination has asked me to bring a specific doll or there's one I particularly want them to see.

Often, I just grab a doll or two at random to shove in my bag as I'm about to head out the door.

Teddy

 

Mine is based on who i need to bring (for example, if someone wanted to see someone in person), but in general, its always my boy Mikami as hes definitely my favorite, he may even trump the others even if they want to be seen. i usually pack too heavy myself, so i never have room for two (unless one my yosd).

 

I don't travel much for vacations. I do go to doll conventions and I take a doll associated with the convention (not a BJD).

I probably wouldn't take my Iplehouse BID with me as I would be afraid that something would happen to her.

I will be getting a tiny BJD at a luncheon this Summer (assuming it happens). I won't mention her name as I am new and I don't know if she is on the accepted list. I was thinking that she might be my travel doll for general travel. She is so small that I think I could pack her in something and she would be protected.

 

I love your doll photo. I only have one BJD, an Iplehouse BID, and I am drawn to the look of the Iplehouse dolls.
Do you post stories about your doll?

 

Why would she be more likely to have something happen to her than another BJD...? She's small, so easy to pack and carry about (no aching arms from lugging an SD sized lump of resin), so she'd seem like an ideal choice.

Teddy

 

Dear Teddy, you are absolutely correct. She is my first (and right now only) BJD and I think it's the "new parent" syndrome going on. I am being over protective.

 

Awwww.... Sweet.

Teddy

 

I've brought a number of my dolls with me on holidays, but mostly my 1/4 and below sizes. They've been to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand. I've also brought my Venitu to Malaysia and Australia before. I also have a 1/12 sized pet doll that I carry with me almost everywhere~

How I choose who to bring comes down to convenience, apart from my Venitu, whom I brought to Malaysia to see if I could bring him overseas with me for my following trip to Australia because a doll friend wanted to meet him XD I have since learned a very effective way of bringing a 70cm doll on the plane with me and I don't actually own a doll carrier It causes me less stress when I can remove his head and hands and store them separately before folding his body into my carry-on.